Madden: Yanks need to ditch Alex the Grate  —  When the Yankees re-signed Alex Rodriguez in the fall of 2007, they envisioned the “clean” alternative to Barry Bonds - the knight in shining armor who would erase the stain of steroids from the all-time home run record, and they would bask in the glory of it with their brand.

Ryan Howard's big deal  —  With or without the new contract he signed yesterday, Ryan Howard was going to be with the Phillies through 2011.  Look at it that way and his big deal - $54 million over three years - doesn't seem like such a big deal, at least to Phillies fans.

Clarification on Andruw  —  Just found out that the Dodgers get HALF of whatever he makes with the Rangers.  So, if he maxes out on his incentives and receive a total salary of $1.5 million from Texas in 2009, the Dodgers will get $750,000 of that, meaning they would owe him about $2.76 million instead …

Dayan Viciedo will get long look at White Sox camp  —  Cuban teen has great skills, especially as a hitter, and could make a big impact for the White Sox  —  The hitting credentials were impressive, but the White Sox's investment was even more breathtaking.

K-Rod anxious to win over fans  —  Live arms at back of the pen again raises hope of playoff run  —  Francisco Rodriguez and the man who brought him to New York, Mets GM Omar Minaya.  (Newsday / Alejandra Villa)  —  Francisco Rodriguez is scheduled to arrive in Port St. Lucie later this week.

Categorizing Starting Pitchers by Strikeout and Groundball Rates - 2008 Edition  —  Strikeout and groundball rates have become my favorite way to evaluate pitchers.  While I also pay close attention to walk rates, I am most interested in whether pitchers can miss bats and keep batted balls in the park.

Ned Colletti: GM Trade History  —  By Tim Dierkes [February 8 at 9:57pm CST]  —  MLBTR contributor Brendan Bianowicz is back with a new installment in our GM Trade History series: Ned Colletti of the Dodgers.  Click here to download the spreadsheet chronicling Colletti's work.

Tiger Pitchers, 1901-1954  —  Some teams in baseball have been blessed with a multitude of splendid pitchers.  Take the Braves, for instance.  They spent the 1990s with Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz as a terrific trio.  Before that, Phil Niekro anchored their rotation for the better part of 20 years.

More Questions and Even Less Time  —  You may have noticed that today's column is titled “On The Beat.”  That change will keep the name consistent with the columns that I write on Wednesdays, as well as on other days when I end up covering the postseason and the Winter Meetings.